Any discussion of the prior art throughout this specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
A roof structure having an outer layer or roof covering consisting one or more of a tiles or slates or panel or sheet or roof plane outer surface, hereinafter referred to as roof coverings or tiles, may advantageously have at least one area provided with or containing or covered with or supporting a means of gathering or producing energy including an electric current; said sheets or tiles or panels may include multiple layers of said means of gathering or producing energy. Such Roof Coverings are often manually handled into convenient groups ready to affix to the proximate roof structure elements including rafters and said roof structure elements hereinafter referred to as rafter or rafters.
As part of the process of fixing the Roof Coverings in place one or more skilled persons working in situ on the roof structure will normally also need to precisely position and apply or fix to the Rafters a means of restraining or holding said roof coverings in place on a roof structure, including the placement and fixing of load bearing battens hereinafter referred to as Support battens to support said roof coverings and the precise placement of a holding means or restraining means to removably or otherwise fix or retain tiles on the roof structure.
The present invention includes the provision of a means to connect roof coverings to a roof structure preferably including but not limited to a clip made of any suitable material including metal treated to provide a spring effect and having a means to fixingly and or removably hold or restrain or attach preferably in close proximity to at least one edge of one of said roof coverings in a desired position on Support battens and said means to connect roof coverings to a roof structure hereinafter referred to as metal clip and preferably said metal clip also providing a means of removably and or fixingly engaging with lightweight battens of any suitable material but preferably of metal such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,454,873 and 7,448,177 McClintick which patents are hereby incorporated by reference in this application; said lightweight battens being not structural in the sense that they are not designed to bear roof load but instead are provided to conveniently fixingly and or removably anchor said metal clips in a precise and consistent alignment and said lightweight battens, or at least said metal clips being further affixed in a precise location on support battens. Said support batten when fixed in place on other structural elements of the roof frame such as rafters also transfers load carried by said support batten to said other structural elements of the roof frame such as rafters. The said support battens together with one or more metal clip or one or more of said lightweight battens affixed thereto may advantageously and preferably be assembled other than on a roof so that the said assembly, hereinafter referred to as the Support batten assembly, can be handled on a roof essentially like any structural batten to be affixed to the structure of a roof by efficient means as is commonly done by tradespersons applying such structural Support Battens to roofs. The advantage of a Support batten assembly is that it provides multiple precisely aligned metal clips to engage and affix roof coverings in a corresponding precise alignment thereby avoiding the need for tradespersons in situ on the roof to spend the time necessary to apply with precision at least a multiplicity of restraining means for roof coverings to elements of a roof structure.
Said support battens and support batten assemblys preferably also being of precise dimension and or having locational dimensions at least in relation to the width dimension measured in the direction parallel to the slope of the roof from eave to a roof ridge. Said dimensions or measurements referred to in this paragraph and hereinafter are measured with reference to normal in situ position on a roof structure. Advantageously the present invention also provides for a system and device to assist with roofing generally and in one specific instance to aid fixing precise location of each row of said support batten assemblys on said rafters in positions extending from the eave to the roof ridge; for example, starting from a first support batten assembly fixed on rafters in a desired position adjacent to a roof eave so as to set the position of the first or eave row of tiles and others of said support batten assembly located between the eave and the ridge of a roof, a first spacer piece or spacer device of appropriate material and dimension may advantageously be placed, at least temporarily, abutting the edge one or more rafters and the said first support batten assembly at the edge closest to the ridge-line of the roof hereinafter referred to as the Upper edge; said first spacer piece having a dimension between its Upper edge and corresponding lower edge such that when a second Support batten assembly is placed parallel to the first Support batten assembly and abutting one or more rafters and also abutting the Upper Edge of said first spacer piece, the desired gauge or spacing may be achieved between said Support batten Assemblies thus also achieving the desired gauge or spacing of roof coverings such as rows of slates or tiles which are affixed to said Support batten assemblies. Others of said spacer pieces and Support batten assemblies may be similarly placed in position to achieve the desired location of each row of roof coverings from roof eave to roof ridge. The gauge function of said spacer pieces in establishing the desired spacing apart of Support batten assemblies may also be performed by a device hereinafter referred to as Gauge Device which abuts or engages with one or more of Support batten assembly and Rafter. A Gauge Device may advantageously be adjustable to easily provide desired different spacings of Support batten assemblies.
Said Support Battens used to produce the said Support batten assemblies and spacer pieces or gauges may advantageously be formed from any suitable material preferably sourced from a renewable resource and including timber preferably being plywood and preferably from plywood having a water-resistant outer layer; and the locating and affixing of the Support battens in relation to the rafters by use of spacer pieces in the aforesaid manner provides a simple and easily verifiable means of correctly setting out the necessary “gauge” or vertical spacing of the Support batten assemblies so that each row of roof coverings such as tiles or slates will be correctly positioned; and if the said spacer pieces are constructed to be the same length and thickness as the said Support battens and permanently fixed in position there is additionally provided a contiguous surface covering rafters from eave to ridge which has superior load bearing to that provided by Support Battens alone. Such said contiguous surface covering rafters is advantageous in areas receiving additional loadings such as snowfall on roof coverings and is also useful in improving retention of tiles on a roof structure during extreme weather events when the air pressure acting on the outer surface of a tiled roof may at least temporarily become less than the air pressure within the building such that the higher air pressure within a building acts upon the contiguous undersurface of said support battens and spacer pieces before it can act on the underside of said roof tiles or roof sheets forming said outer layer of a roof structure and thus aiding in resisting the propensity of individual roof tiles to be dislodged in certain weather conditions.
Preferably said support battens and spacer pieces may be manufactured of a material available from sources having a minimal environmental impact and preferably from a sustainable re-growth harvesting source such bamboo or woodlot timber and said Support battens and spacer pieces may also be advantageously produced with abutting long edges shaped to co-operatively abut and engage so that when Support battens are fixed to the rafters of a roof structure said spacer piece is locked into position against the rafters between abutting support battens and thereby firmly retained without the need to have said spacer piece fixed to said rafters by mechanical separate fixings. Alternatively, said spacer pieces may also be fixed to said rafters by mechanical fixings similar to said Support battens so as to increase the holding force retaining the said Support battens and spacer pieces on said rafters.
Said roof covering or outer layer may for example also include; sheets or panels or tiles including those constructed of any suitable material or combination of materials including metals and plastics or glass, preferably including fiber reinforced cement or concrete, supporting on the surface, a solar energy or ambient heat harvesting means or a means of heating, as a coating on said tiles or surrounding one or more cell or layers of cells on or inset into and partially covering the surface of said tiles; including cells formed of one or more layers of elements or combinations or compounds or mixtures of said elements in the Periodic Table of Elements. Said Periodic Table of Elements may be seen at http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/periodic-table-of-elements.html and which is by reference incorporated in this application.
Presentations by Robert Murray-Smith have been made since about 2011 concerning materials and methods which may be employed in the manufacture of devices suitable for the harvesting of solar and ambient energy layers of elements or combinations or compounds or mixtures of said elements in the Periodic Table of Elements including Carbon in graphene form as well as other materials including plastics and polymers, acids, alkalis and commercially available materials employed in making materials which may be employing in the manufacture of cells suitable for the harvesting of solar and ambient energy and said presentations were made by way of videos filed at https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertMurraySmith/videos?view=0&live view=500&flow=list&sort=dd and the videos listed there are by reference in their entirety included in this application and following by way of example are references for some but not all of the videos hereby incorporated in this application.
Graphene Transparent, Flexible Brand New Solar Cell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5eRLxMHIi0&feature=iv&src vid=aNGoXjQpU0 E&annotation_id=annotation 1124943505
Graphene Based Thermal and Solar Fluid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yclCsb-IOa8
A Graphene Based Thermocell (Monotherm): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw8vXZHO5Ps
Thermo Electric Generator From Graphene Ink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eiyz-WOX8c
Thermal Power Generation From Graphene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVPu-9Hctl
Graphene Heating Elements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADrb6jFdfLU
Generating Electricity From A Coat Of Graphene Paint—Alternative Solar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSZGUV8D19I
On Being Too Rigid And Thinking About Batteries, Supercapacitors and Solar Cells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrPR8nkGIrE
The Thermocell—A Solar Cell You Can Paint On Anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nzbin6Zfvc
Said solar energy or ambient heat harvesting means or a means of heating, as a coating on said tiles or layers preferably being thin like a paint coating or one or more layers of nanoparticles.
Roof coverings supporting of having on their surfaces said solar energy or ambient heat harvesting means or a means of heating may consist one single unit but take the form and appearance of an entire row of individual tiles; said reinforcing fibers being of one or more of materials which may be used singly or in combination, including but not limited to fibers of carbon, silicon and including Polymers such as Polyethylene or Polypropylene in all forms; said one or more of roof coverings consisting of or containing or supporting or having affixed thereto one or more energy producing and or collecting means and or an assembly or grouping of such means; including electricity harvested by Photovoltaic means and or means related to ambient heat and or the natural Electronegativity differences between the elements in the Periodic Table of Elements and disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,054 Lovell Walter Carl which patent is hereby incorporated by reference in this application.
Said one or more energy producing and or collecting means also including a photovoltaic means such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,416 Tennant which patent is hereby incorporated by reference in this application.
Said one or more electricity producing means connected to a means of conducting or transmitting the electricity to a storage device or to the electricity grid. Said means of producing conducting or transmitting the electricity may include one or more layers or coatings on said tiles or sheets; a strip or extrusion of metal or plastic including flexible plastics having one or more thin layers of, or having channels containing, one or more thin layers of electrical conducting material; said electrical conducting material including one or more elements from the Periodic Table of Elements and including preferably Carbon C as a graphene or a form thereof and or graphite and or graphene intercalated with one or more substance formed from the constituents of the periodic table of elements or compounds thereof and more preferably from the group including Nickel, Copper, Tin, Fluorine, Sodium, Chlorine; said strip or extrusion may also advantageously have integrally formed on or attached to the edges a means of sealingly joining said edges or by employing known means to join said edges to form a tube or shaped conduit suitable as a means to transmit or conduct electricity with less resistance than copper wires; said means of conducting or transmitting electric current may also include tubes or nano tubes of materials including carbon having an inner surface coated and or annealed or otherwise treated or coated.
In another exemplar of the present invention a means of harvesting the energy in ambient heat in or in close proximity to a roof surface is provided by replacing at least partially the “Slate Liner 140”, referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,873 McClintick in FIG. 7 and elsewhere in the said US Patent, with a similar dimensioned liner comprising or having one or more of its surfaces at least substantially covered with one or more layers of elements from the Periodic Table of Elements or combinations or compounds of said Elements and said replacement liner disposed with a collection means so that energy can be obtained from ambient heat similar to the disclosures referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,054; alternatively said liner replacement of said Slate Liner 140 may be a more robust liner with increased resistance to UV and other degrading influences by the combination or lamination of a more resistant layer together with a layer of polymer such as high density polyethylene HDPE; said more resistant layer preferably being a metal such as stainless steel or at least a substance highly resistant to degradation by UV radiation or at least highly resistant to degradation by natural processes over effluxion of an extended time period consistent with the expected longevity of a traditional slate roof which may exceed 100 years of useful service.
The present invention includes a system whereby, after fixing of Support Batten Assemblies and or spacer pieces to Rafters of a roof frame structure, groups of roof coverings including roof tiles or slates are be conveyed to the roof structure by means of a crane or other lifting means in discrete groups placed conveniently in quantity and location considering the load bearing capacity of the structure and provision of efficient access to the tradespersons to minimize distance from point of storage to point of affixing roof coverings to each Support batten assembly. Preferably the gross weight of each group including any container is less than 300 kilograms.
The present invention also provides a tile bearing container or means of keeping a group of Roof Coverings together during transport to a desired location on the roof and also during the process of applying the said roof coverings to the roof structure. The said container is also provided with a means to engage with elements of the roof framework such as rafters by means such as one or more surface or protrusion or cleat; said container may also have one or more restraining means to at least temporarily restrainingly connect said tile bearing container to the roof structure so as to prevent said tile bearing container and its contents from being dislodged from the said roof framing. Said tile bearing container is preferably removed from the roof structure for re-use together with any unused tiles after all the required tiles or slates are removed therefrom. Said tile bearing container reduces the need of manually conveying tiles to the point of use on a roof and improves safety and efficiency and reduces breakage and other consequential costs. In one embodiment of this aspect said one or more protruding cleats and or adjacent surface of said tile bearing container abut at least one rafter 200 and at least one of said Support battens 300 or 310 or Spacer Pieces 600 referred to in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 and elsewhere herein
The present invention also provides for an improved method and devices to assist tradespersons in safely and precisely installing the many and various elements including the many discrete roof plane surfaces which comprise a finished roof. One preferred device provides a computer based application hereinafter referred to as app, to convey electronically by Wi-Fi or other means, to a mobile telephone or other device carried by a tradesperson/user working on the roof, the details of the roofing job so that the multitude of vital information is always conveniently available without the need to leave the roof to review said information. The information provided may be via a lap top computer located safely on or nearby to the work site and provide; a roof diagram identifying each of the roof plane surfaces; dimensions and details of the roof including all relevant materials; all materials to be installed in conjunction or associated with the roof so that proper allowances may be made to allow for items such as roof penetrations or mountings or flashings which may be done by other trades. Such information may advantageously also include; details of other trades to do work associated with or connected with the roof including intended work schedule and contact details; and the app may usefully serve up a form to the user showing the dimensions of each roof plane surface and estimated batten spacing and all materials required and providing user to check measurements on the roof and input the actual measurements whereupon the app will re-calculate and transmit to the user the recalculated information. Transmitted information especially regarding tile/batten spacing may advantageously also be communicated to and received by another device which may adjusted mechanically to reflect the desired spacing of battens on a particular roof surface and confirm to the user by sound or visual response when the physical adjustment has achieved the received desired dimension at which point the user locks the device or gauge which may them be employed to set the spacing for all batten rows on that roof plane surface.
The present invention also provides for a system including a system for supporting roofing members on a roof structure, the system comprising: at least one batten plurality of roof covering retaining devices or clips secured or removably secured to a batten by spring torsion force of one arm of the clip acting on an a wall of an opening or pocket in the batten; the clip devices operable to support or retain roof coverings; wherein the roof coverings are slate or tile; and each slate or tile has a top edge and a bottom edge; and the bottom edge of each of the slate members is supported by one or more of said clip devices; wherein a bottom portion of each of the clip devices extends away from the roof to support the bottom edge of one of the slate members, and a top portion of each of the clip devices securely engages the at least one batten.
A System wherein the roof covering retaining clip devices are spring tempered.
A System further comprising one or more slate underlayers/liners, wherein each slate liner is positioned atop the roof covering retaining devices associated with a row of slate members, underlying the slate members of the row.
A System wherein a bottom portion of each of the roof covering retaining clip devices extends away from the roof to support the bottom edge of one of the slate/tiles and the slate liner, a top portion of each of the roof covering retaining devices securely engages the at least one batten, and a bottom edge of the slate liner is coincident with the bottom edge of the slate tiles.
A System further comprising an underlayment positioned on the roof structure below the battens.
A System further comprising a plurality of battens for accommodating a plurality of rows of slate, wherein the slate are operatively secured to the roof structure in overlapping rows, wherein the bottom portion of each of the roof covering retaining devices of one of the rows extends downward to partially overlap the slate members of the row immediately below.
A System wherein the slate liner of one of the rows completely underlies the slate members of the row, and wherein the upper edge of the slate liner extends up beyond the top edge of the slate members of the row.
A system for attaching slate members to a roof, the system comprising: at least one batten, the batten having a plurality of roof covering retaining clips disposed along its length, each roof covering retaining clips having spring torsion force portion to secure the clip removably or otherwise to a the batten; wherein each slate member has a top edge and a bottom edge, and wherein the bottom edge of each of the slate members is supported by one or more of said roof covering retaining clips; wherein a bottom portion of each of said roof covering retaining clips extends away from the roof to support the bottom edge of one of the slate members.
A System wherein the spring torsion force portion of the clip is sufficient for the roof covering retaining clips to resist lifting forces when attached to the at least one batten.
A System further comprising one or more slate liners, wherein each of said slate liner is positioned atop the roof covering retaining clips associated with a row of said slate members, underlying the slate members of the row.
A System wherein the slate liner and a top portion of each of said roof covering retaining clips securely engages the at least one batten, and the bottom edge of the slate liner is coincident with the bottom edge of the slate members.
A System further comprising a plurality of battens for accommodating a plurality of rows of said slate members, wherein the slate members are attached to the roof in overlapping rows, wherein the bottom portion of each said roof covering retaining clips of one of the rows extends downward to partially overlap the slate members of the row immediately below.
A System wherein the slate liner of one of the rows completely underlies the slate members of the row, and wherein the upper edge of the slate liner extends up beyond the top edge of the slate members of the row.